Fia against swearing in F1
The International Federation intends to start a crusade against foul language often used by the protagonists of the Formula 1 world championship. If at the end of the 2023 season the first official reprimands had arrived for Frederic Vasseur and Toto Wolff, accused of having uttered swear words during the team principal press conference of the Abu Dhabi GP, Now even the drivers’ radio communications are under the FIA’s scrutinyThe president confirmed the crackdown Mohammed Ben Sulayemwho in an interview given to Motorsport he confessed that he can’t stand the acceptance of “fuck you”s during live broadcasts of GPs.
Ben Sulayem speaks
“We need to differentiate our sport – said the number one at Place de la Concorde – from rap music. We are not rappers, yet how many times a minute do pilots swear? We are not like that, it is something that rappers do, not us… I was a pilot and I know what it feels like in the tension of the moment when a rival pushes you out, but we also have to be aware and responsible for our behavior. Now everything is broadcast live and recorded, so we have to think about how to minimize the risk of certain language being spoken publicly”.
“You have to think – continued Ben Sulayem – that there are also children who watch the races… What are we teaching them about our sport? The FIA has approved the choice to broadcast more live radio conversations. But there are also rules designed for the good of the sport, and These rules also say that one must behave in a polite and respectable manner”.
New rules on misconduct in F1
The Federation’s decision to reduce the margin of tolerance for swearing follows a recent change in the rules regarding the definition of “bad conduct” to include foul language. A change of direction also dictated by recent studies conducted by the FIA, according to which there is a correlation between negative comments from drivers and the increase in hatred towards stewards on social networks. “The rules were not written to remain unchanged for 30 years, but they must be improved, changed, removed and added. And it is not me who does it, but committees that study how to do it. The previous rules on the subject had been written in 1972. Nobody knew it, but they had been there since ’72!”.
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